NOVEL CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) UPDATE – 22nd July 2021

NSW recorded 124 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.

Of these locally acquired cases, 67 are linked to a known case or cluster – 45 are household contacts and 22 are close contacts – and the source of infection for 57 cases is under investigation.

Thirty-seven cases were in isolation throughout their infectious period and 22 cases were in isolation for part of their infectious period. Forty-eight cases were infectious in the community, and the isolation status of 17 cases remains under investigation.

No new overseas-acquired cases were recorded in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. Four cases reported previously, but since found to be false positives, have been excluded, bringing the total number of cases in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic to 7,164.

There have been 1,648 locally acquired cases reported since 16 June 2021, when the first case in the Bondi cluster was reported.

There are currently 118 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital, with 28 people in intensive care, 14 of whom require ventilation.

There were 85,185 COVID-19 tests reported to 8pm last night, a new record compared with the previous day’s total of 83,477.

NSW Health administered 23,549 COVID-19 vaccines in the 24 hours to 8pm last night, including 7,923 at the vaccination centre at Sydney Olympic Park.

The total number of vaccines administered in NSW is now 3,226,932, with 1,258,864 doses administered by NSW Health to 8pm last night and 1,968,068 administered by the GP network and other providers to 11:59pm on Tuesday 20 July 2021.

 Of the 124 locally acquired cases reported to 8pm last night, 54 are from South Western Sydney Local Health District (LHD), 40 are from Western Sydney LHD, 18 are from Sydney LHD, eight are from South Eastern Sydney LHD, two are from Northern Sydney LHD, one is from Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD and one is from Nepean Blue Mountains LHD.

As reported in a public health alert last night, a supermarket in Belrose in north-eastern Sydney and another in Merrylands, in south-western Sydney, have become venues of concern.

Anyone who attended the following venue at the times listed is a close contact and must get tested and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result, and call 1800 943 553 unless they have already been contacted by NSW Health: